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Who is Tomas Walsh?
Tomas Walsh is a well-known New Zealand field athlete. Tomas Walsh has the indoor and outdoor shot-put national records. Walsh is widely considered one of the greatest shot putters in history.
He set an Oceanian record of 22.90 m (75 feet 1+12 inches), finishing third in the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
Walsh has a number of medals in the sport. In 2016, he won an Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro.
Tom also won gold and silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He also won gold at the 2017 World Athletics Championship.
He also won the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships with the largest winning margin in the event’s history.
At the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, the New Zealander won bronze.
Similarly, he finished fourth at the 2015 World Athletics Championships.
In 2009, he also represented New Zealand in the World Under-18 Championships, finishing with six points.
Tomas Walsh’s journey from Geraldine to the Olympics is fascinating.
Today, we’ll delve into his personal and professional lives. Let’s get this party started!
Tomas Walsh’s Childhood and Family
On March 1, 1992, Tomas Walsh was born to proud parents Peter Walsh and Karen Walsh.
He was born in the New Zealand town of Timaru.
Walsh, like his elder brother Bill Walsh, grew up in the far north of Timaru.
Not to mention that the Walshs were just like any other Kiwi family.
Walsh: The Athlete’s Family
Peter Walsh, Tomas’s father, is also a field and track athlete.
During the mid-1960s season, he won the New Zealand junior men’s shot put title.
In 1974, he was a member of the South Canterbury Rugby side that won the Ranfurly Shield.
The Walsh family has a long history with rugby.
Karen, Tomas’s mother, wished for her son to become a professional rugby player.
Similarly, Karen admires Tomas’s rugby and cricket skills but has a love-hate connection with athletics.
Tomas once stated that his mother dislikes watching sports because it makes her feel out of control.
He reacted to his mother with a nice chuckle, saying, “You just sit and watch me because I’m in control here,” immediately before competing in the annual Allan and Sylvia Potts Memorial Track and Field Classic in Hastings, England.
Tomas grew up participating in sports such as rugby, cricket, hockey, soccer, croquet, and athletics.
He tried his hand at everything and didn’t specialize in the shot put until he was 19 years old.
Early Years of Tomas Walsh’s Professional Athletic Career
Early Years
When Walsh initially considered becoming a professional shooter, Jacko Gill held every national and junior world record.
He recalls competing in World Juniors when he bombed out and Gill was the champion.
The tit-for-tat rivalry began in his thoughts against Gill, and he gathered all of his might to compete.
Tom made his international debut in 2009, finishing sixth in the World Youth Championship.
Walsh was unable to qualify for the 2010 World Junior Championship, which Gill won.
They continued to set new marks while breaking each other.
Walsh, however, did not give up and won his first senior national title in 2012.
On December 12, 2013, he smashed Gill’s New Zealand senior shot put record of 20.61 m (67 feet 7+1/4 inches) in Australia.
On March 22, 2014, in Australia, he broke his personal record with 21.16 m (69 feet 5 inches).
A Prolific Athlete
Walsh placed third in the men’s shot at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, his first senior international competition, and his first indoor tournament.
He then jumped 20.41 meters (66 feet 11 inches) in the competition’s qualifying round.
Similarly, in the final finishing of the competition, he recorded 21.26 m (69 feet 9 inches), breaking the Oceanian indoor record.
Walsh then cleared 21.23 m (69 feet 7+34 inches) on July 11, 2014, in the 2014 IAAF Diamond League competition in Glasgow, improving his outdoor personal best as well as the New Zealand record.
He subsequently improved to 21.24 m (69 feet 8 inches) in the qualifying round of the 2014 Commonwealth Games on July 2, breaking the Commonwealth Games record.
In the competition’s finals, he took silver behind O’Dayne Richards.
Walsh then defended his New Zealand shot to put in the championship on March 8, 2015, throwing 20.73 m (68 feet 0 inches).
On March 21, he established a new Oceania record of 21.37 m (70 feet 14 inches) at the Melbourne Track Classic.
He later finished fourth in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing with a personal best throw of 21.58 m.
However, due to the 11-centimeter distance, he did not receive a bronze medal.
Ascend to Prominence
On September 8, 2015, Walsh improved his personal best to 21.62m after winning the shot put competition at the Hanekovi Memorial in Zagreb.
On September 11, he won his first Diamond League competition, throwing 21.39m in Brussels.
Similarly, he won gold at the 2016 World Indoor Championships with a throw of 21.78m.
In the process, he smashed his personal New Zealand national and Oceania region indoor records three times.
He went on to win a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with a throw of 21.36m.
Similarly, he won the 2017 IAAF World Championships with a throw of 2.03m.
Walsh then defended his World Indoor title at the 2018 World Indoor Championships with a personal best throw of 22.31m.
On March 25, the same year, he broke the record with a throw of 22.67m at the Sir Graeme Douglas International Track Challenge in Waitakere City, New Zealand.
He was then named one of the top ten World All-Time players.
Similarly, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Walsh set a new Commonwealth Games record with a throw of 22.45m. It propelled him to the men’s shot put final.
Walsh’s personal best to date is 22.90 meters, which he achieved at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. He finished third in the competition.
Tomas Walsh – Girlfriend and Relationship
Tom Walsh is romantically involved with Dana Mulcahy.
Dana is enthusiastic about Walsh’s sports career.
She is originally from Timaru but currently resides in Christchurch with Walsh.
Tomas once stated in an interview that he considers himself fortunate to have a companion like Dana who assists him in keeping up with his hectic travel schedule.
More on Personal Preferences
Walsh works as a contractor on the side. When he is not training or competing, he works in the construction industry.
He last competed in an international tournament in 2019 at the Doha World Championship.
So, if we count the time from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, it’s been almost two years.
Walsh is aware that he will be playing against the top shot putters in the world in the competition.
It will be extremely difficult, and he must be fully prepared if he is to succeed.
He looked happy that Covid-19 did not disturb life as much as it did in other countries, and he was eager to travel internationally to compete against the best. He entered the competition well-prepared and full of confidence.
We have quoted his opinions on the next Olympics in Tokyo:
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any concern, but I believe that’s also beneficial because a little doubt sharpens your focus, and knowing they’re throwing well and getting ready to go to Tokyo is a wonderful thing.”
The Tokyo Olympics 2021 were slated to take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
Tom Walsh – Net Worth
Tom Walsh is a wealthy shotputter. Tom Walsh also earns money from his construction work.
As a result, he has a quite good existence.
TOM WALSH’S NET WORTH IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN $1 AND $5 MILLION.
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Tomas Walsh – Online Presence
You can follow Tomas Walsh on social media by clicking on the following links:
Instagram \sTwitter
